The cows come home to Madison next week as the World Dairy Expo returns to the Alliant Energy Center Oct. 1 to Oct. 4. You might have heard about the event, or seen the trailers full of cows on the road heading in and out of town, and wondered what it’s all about. Well, I’m here to give you the (ice cream) scoop!
Let’s Do the Numbers
The World Dairy Expo started in 1967 as the World Food Exposition, and in 1971 refocused to include a trade show for the dairy industry. Now the largest cattle event in the world, it currently draws over 600 companies and over 50,000 attendees from all over the world, bringing in an estimated $31 million revenue to Dane County.
Most importantly, 2,600 head of dairy cattle of seven different breeds come from across the country, all competing to be crowned Supreme Champion of World Dairy Expo.
The Greatest Dairy Show on Earth
With good reasons, organizers call the World Dairy Expo “the Super Bowl for cows.” The cattle compete on colored wood shavings, and it’s a closely-guarded secret what color the shavings will be at each expo.
And, like your high school prom, each year’s festival has a special theme featuring colorful costumes and backdrops. This year’s is “The Golden Age,” using the glitz and glamor of old Hollywood to celebrate modernizations in the dairy industry.
Cows of the Future
You can see that cutting-edge tech at the World Dairy Expo’s gigantic trade show in Exhibition Hall. There are also plenty of seminars and other educational opportunities for those in the industry to learn from experts or their fellow dairy producers.
What About the Kids?
World Dairy Expo also has much to offer for the next generation of the dairy industries. Youths from high school Future Farmers of America chapters and 4-H programs compete in how they display their cows, how they prepare their cows for competition. There’s also a competition where young contestants are judged on how they judge cows.
Cows From Your Couch
With cattle coming from all over the country and people coming from all over the world, there’s global interest in what’s going on in Madison during those four days. For those who can’t make the trip, or are just curious about what’s going on, the World Dairy Expo website offers “ExpoTV,” a subscription streaming service offering three channels of constant coverage.
You can hear more fun anecdotes about the event and more on the City Cast Madison podcast, where host Bianca Martin caught up with the expo’s general manager Laura Herschleb.
